Azad visits quake-hit in Tangdhar

Gulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, visited the earthquake victims in Tangdhar area and distributed over one thousand blankets and woolens to them. He was accompanied by deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig and Harcharan Singh Josh of the congress party who has been looking after the relief and rehabilitation work on behalf of the party.

He offered the Eid namaz in a masjid in the Teethwal, the last village on the Indian side of the border and greeted the victims of the earthquake on the occasion of Eid ul Fitar. This was his first visit to the earthquake affected areas after taking over the reigns of the state as the chief minister on November 2.

Azad in his first press conference had announced that his government would give top priority to the work of relief and rehabilitation and ensure that no person is left without shelter during the oncoming winter in the state. Josh said that the relief material that was distributed on Friday by the chief minister was contributed by the congress party and had nothing to do with the state or the central government.

Former Miss India Miss Nafisa Ali also visited some of the camps of the victims in the Uri sector and greeted them on Eid. "The people of North Kashmir are extremely happy that the people of India have stood with them in their hour of crisis. They told us that the relief material has reached in plenty. What they need is pucca roofs over their heads. They also told us that they would begin the reconstruction of their shattered houses soon. I admire the spirit of the victims," she told rediff.com.

Azad will head to New Delhi soon to hold consultations with party high command about allocation of portfolios.